


Being Stronger Than Death Does Not Heal the Hurt

by tillthestarsevaporate



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Laurel wants to earn Dinah's respect, Pre-Relationship, Rewrite, apology, dinahsiren - Freeform, sirencanary - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 16:15:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17790638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tillthestarsevaporate/pseuds/tillthestarsevaporate
Summary: Laurel goes to Dinah's office to apologise for killing Vincent.This is the scene from 7x2, except Laurel does not leave right away.





	Being Stronger Than Death Does Not Heal the Hurt

Laurel walks towards the police captain’s office, eyes subtly darting between Dinah and the door. She knocks to get her attention.

Dinah looks up, doughnut in hand.

“Laurel,” Dinah says, looking up from the paperwork on her desk.  
“Isn't that supposed to be a doughnut?” Laurel jokes.

Dinah shakes her head. A smile plays tricks on her lips, and she looks down at her desk. “So funny.”

She sighs and turns to the officer standing next to her. “Can you give us a minute?”

The officer leaves and Laurel finally has Dinah’s full attention.

Dinah rubs her hands together and looks at Laurel, who waits until the officer is out the door before she starts talking.

“I just... I wanted to come by and thank you. For the backup.” Laurel smiles, sighs, and resumes. “Also, from now on, I will be accepting protection from the SCPD.” Dinah leans back in her chair and crosses her arms, giving Laurel a smug smile. “No more ditching, no more complaining. Well, maybe a little complaining.” Laurel chuckles and stares at Dinah, who is still smiling.

_If only you can smile at me more often._

“Well, uh, I appreciate that,” Dinah says. “Anything else?”

“No. That's it.” Laurel answers quickly, showing no hesitation but scolding herself on the inside. Dinah’s response caught her off-guard; she managed to get her to smile, several times at that, and it’ll be cruel of her to ruin their for once almost pleasant interaction.

But a part of her feels the need to make that extra effort that will hopefully earn her some respect from Dinah in the long-term. She came to apologise, and so she shall. She gathers back her courage and turns back around to face the other woman.

Laurel takes a deep breath. Time to start making things right.

“Actually, that's not it.”

Dinah once again puts her pen down and looks up, sighing quietly.  
“I know that Quentin wasn't my father, not the father that raised me anyway.”

Dinah swallows.  
“And I guess I had just forgotten what it felt like to have someone who cared about me.  
And losing him? It was the worst pain that I've felt in a very long time.” Laurel’s confident voice wavers. Her breath hitches as she feels the tears pricking her eyes, but she pushes herself to keep going.  
“And I can only imagine how you must have felt after Vinny's death.”  
“Please don't.” Dinah’s shaky voice interrupts.  
“Listen, I don't expect you to forgive me.”  

The look Dinah gives her is full of grief, hurt, not the usual look of anger Laurel is accustomed to from her.

“But I have to tell you that I am truly sorry about killing Vinny.”

Dinah’s tears emerge in full force.

“And I hope one day, you'll see that I am not that person. Not anymore.”

Laurel hesitates before she turns to the door, unsure whether she should take those last steps to leave. Dinah probably doesn’t want her there anyway, so she turns around and starts for the door.

“No. Wait. Please don’t go.” Dinah interrupts her thoughts.

Laurel still hesitates but decides the least she owes Dinah is to do this one thing for her. She knows she doesn’t deserve her forgiveness, but she’s going to try anyway.

She walks back to the desk and sits on the chair in front of it. She doesn’t say anything. She only watches Dinah and waits for her to calm down.

Dinah looks up at her, giving her a full view of the unmistakable sadness in her eyes. Laurel tilts her head to the side, her crying threatening to intensify. She can’t just sit there and do nothing.

She gets up from her seat, Dinah watching her every move. She is about to say something, probably to again tell Laurel to stay, but stops when she realises Laurel is moving closer, not farther away. She carries the chair and sets it down next to Dinah’s.

She holds the other woman’s gaze as she sits down, but Dinah looks away and breathes loudly.

“Dinah,” Laurel says softly. “Look at me. Please.”

The police captain complies.

“If I could take all your pain away right now, I would.”

Dinah shakes her head, tears turning into quiet sobs. Dinah has let her guard down and Laurel’s surprise is palpable.  

“I would. Dinah, everyday I regret the hurt I’ve caused you. I would take it back any day, without thinking twice. I’m truly sorry.”

Laurel takes a leap of faith by extending her hand and laying it on the table, as close as she can get to Dinah’s without touching. She leaves the choice of whether they would to Dinah.

Dinah shifts her head and stares at Laurel’s hand for what seems like a painfully long time, and just as Laurel is about to move away, Dinah moves her hand closer and Laurel meets her halfway, recognising this as a sign to move closer. She takes Dinah’s hand off the table and summons her other one so that she’s holding Dinah’s in both of hers. Dinah’s other hand joins the other three.

“Laurel,” Dinah whispers.

Laurel adjusts their hands so she’s holding both of Dinah’s hands in hers. Slowly, reluctantly, she moves her thumb in a calming circular motion on Dinah’s palm to help her relax.

“Hey,” Laurel says after a few minutes of silence. Dinah looks up at the sound of Laurel’s voice, and her breathing gradually returns to normal again. Lifting their joined hands, Laurel presses a feather of a kiss to Dinah’s hands cupped between hers.

Dinah’s breath hitches at the contact. They lock eyes. Laurel feels the tension between them like a taut elastic band stretched to full length.

_Oh._

Laurel sighs loudly then and clears her throat. “Well, Captain, you better get back to work. I’m a former criminal and trust me when I tell you that all those criminals won’t catch themselves.”

She wanted to stay like this for a bit longer, would’ve given anything for it. Only those glass walls stopped her.

Dinah steadily holds Laurel’s gaze for a second, and Laurel smiles through the dried tears on her cheeks.

“What?” She asks.

“Just surprised at the sudden change, that’s all.”

“Well, only a few people get to see that side of me.” She sees something bordering on hurt in Dinah’s eyes before she continues, “so I had to stop when I noticed that one of your lackeys here is watching us. And quite enthusiastically, I might add.”

Laurel isn’t sure, but she thinks Dinah’s smile now reaches her eyes. She doesn’t laugh, but Laurel supposes that’s the best she could ask for after she’d just apologised for something this huge. It’s going to be a long road ahead of them before Dinah can forgive her, assuming she actually would. Hopefully sooner rather than later, because Laurel can’t stand having feelings for someone who hates her. But Dinah let her guard down today, so maybe she doesn’t hate her as much as she thought.

Laurel squeezes Dinah’s hands before letting them go. After a quick glance, she rises to leave.

“Aren’t you going to put that chair back where it was?” Dinah asks.

She is not quite but almost back to her snarky self. _Good._

“You can’t possibly expect me to hold your hand _and_ return the chair.” Laurel teases. She looks back at the captain and glimpses the smile still lightening her features.

With an exasperated sigh and a lingering smile, Dinah says, “Good night, Laurel.”

“Good night,” Laurel says, offering the most genuine smile she can muster.

“And thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just glad I didn’t have any makeup on. It would’ve been messed up by now.”

A chuckle is Dinah’s final reaction. Laurel turns her back to the other woman and leaves the office, beaming.

_Damn. I'm in so much trouble..._


End file.
